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New Stadium Could Bolster Colorado State’s Big 12 Case

In their push to join the Big 12, the Colorado State Rams might be helped out by their new football stadium.

Competition among several schools is taking shape as more programs vie to join the Big 12. As the school attempts to make the jump from the Mountain West Conference, Colorado State can present a case that revolves, in part, around their new stadium.

Set to open in 2017, the roughly $220 million Colorado State Stadium is boasted as an on-campus amenity that will help both the program and school. While offering state-of-the-art fan and player experiences, the stadium will also include classroom space, plus separate alumni and advising centers.

The university will also offer the chance to put the Big 12 in a solid market, as Colorado State may benefit from its proximity to Denver. More from the Coloradoan:

The Denver television market, which includes Fort Collins, is the 17th-largest in the country. And Denver’s airport, a little more than an hour’s drive away, ranks No. 4 nationally in the number of daily scheduled flights.

CSU has more than 32,000 students, with plans to reach 35,000 in four years. The school has spent more than $1.3 billion on facility upgrades across campus in the past 10 years and is setting new records every year in fundraising, with more than $197 million pledged in 2015-16. Its annual research expenditures of more than $317 in 2014-15 hold a national ranking of No. 75 in over the past decade, according to the National Science Foundation.

Ultimately a move to the Big 12 could affect more than the football program, but having a new facility of this magnitude certainly helps Colorado State’s case.

Rendering of Colorado State Stadium courtesy of Colorado State University.